‘They won’t be alone; they’ll never be alone. I know it’s not the same, but I’ll be here, watching out for them,’ Elizabeth said with a steely determination that seemed at odds with the little woman he knew who favoured twinsets and pearls when she wasn’t diving into the wild Atlantic Ocean.
‘Shall I tell Eric that you’ve become a complete harlot, throwing off your clothes at every opportunity?’ Jo said, breaking the sadness with her own brand of humour.
‘Oh God no,’ Elizabeth shrieked. ‘Not a word until I’m there to see his jaw drop.’
That was why Dan came here every evening, to listen to women whose friendship had sustained them through the unthinkable and was continuing to sustain them. That was what his book would be about – the indomitable spirit of friendship.
*
The following morning blushed pink across the sky, falling into a deep blue as the ocean crept up towards the horizon. Shards of tawny, rosy light cut in through the half-opened curtains on Dan’s bedroom window– plenty of time for a walk and to gather his thoughts. The sea breeze seemed even fresher today, if that was possible, and Dan enjoyed its coldness pressing on his face and then on his return journey pushing him along against his back. But it wasn’t the sea or the breeze, or the soft sand beneath his feet that was making him smile today. Rather, the reason he felt this unaccustomed lightness inside had nothing to do with any of those things and at the same time had everything to do with how life was unfolding.
Late the previous night, he’d taken his courage in his hands and contacted Harry. He’d sent a sample of the novel and been rewarded by an early morning return email. The writing he’d already pinged off to his agent was developing further in his mind. Harry had sat up all night reading through it and he felt exactly as Dan had. This had the potential to be a decent book – this was the idea they’d talked about so many times late into the night.
‘This is a movie in the making, if the sets are half as good as you make them sound on the page,’ Harry said when he rang later that day.
‘Let’s see if we can’t make it into a book first,’ Dan said softly; he’d had his fill of scripts to last him a lifetime. But he knew that was the secret to Harry’s success, this notion that there were always bigger mountains to climb. Of course, for Harry, it would be the royalties too – there was no denying that there was a big difference between a decent movie royalty and a successful book.
When he’d rung earlier in the morning, Harry had been excited, taken up in the sort of enthusiasm that Dan knew could not be thwarted. He replayed their conversation over in his mind again as he walked along the beach. He was excited at the prospect of climbing back into the book again, with fresh eyes and yes, maybe with movie camera eyes this time. This was the kind of challenge he’d needed, but perhaps he just hadn’t realised it until it presented itself. He was ready to grow, as a writer, ready to push into a new territory and there was no question: he’d assured Harry that the only place this book could possibly be written was right here in Ballycove.
20
Niall
They’d spent the day in Dublin, gathering up belongings, because perhaps they both knew that they would not be coming back here until his grandmother had passed away. School was out, his mother’s job at the hospital had been filled by some young eager doctor and no-one was going to miss them particularly from their previous lives if they never came back again. His mother was driving but a million miles away in her thoughts, so she hardly noticed the profusion of flowers along the main road into the village, nor did she comment on the fact that the foliage was abundant with the trees constructing light green canopies across the road. As summer heightened, these would become heavier and darker until they threatened to upend and bend down so low, it felt as if you could touch them.
Niall had slept for most of the journey. He’d heard his mother mutter that it would be a blessing if he was old enough to drive and take over while she closed her tired eyes for a while. If only. That was something he’d love: driving on a main road. He wanted to ask if she knew at what age you could legally drive in Sydney, but he had a feeling it was better to keep his eyes closed and pretend to be asleep. He’d heard nothing back from his dad, but that didn’t mean his mother hadn’t. All he could do was cross his fingers and wait. Niall wouldn’t admit to being glad to be in Ballycove, but certainly, it was better than school. Dan had invited him over for food and to watch his favourite show on Netflix, which was releasing its second season the following day. Tonight, his mum seemed eager to sit down and have a chat with him, he hoped it would be about going to live with his Dad in Australia.